The Wrong Trousers

IT may have drawn acclaim from the critics but one person who
isn't impressed with Dolce & Gabbana's autumn/winter 2009-10
menswear offering is Giorgio Armani - who has accused the duo of
copying him.

The look in question is the quilted trouser, which Domenico
Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are championing for next season but which
Armani originally put on his catwalk in June (albeit in a wet-look
version, as opposed to the Dolce & Gabbana matt).

"Now they copy me. Tomorrow they will learn," Armani told
reporters following the show, leading to speculation that he may
sue. "I would understand if they were nobodies. But honestly!"

The D&G boys, are unimpressed with the accusation and have
been quick to insist they're no plagiarists - indeed, that they
couldn't have copied from Armani's collection, because they didn't
look at it.

"We surely have plenty to learn, but certainly not from him,"
they said in a statement released yesterday. "The Armani style was
never a source of inspiration for us and it is years since we have
bothered to watch his collections."

A spokesperson for Armani, however, has confirmed that the
designer does not plan to pursue the matter and that his remarks
were merely "a casual observation", according to The First
Post.